Office
Locations

Los Angeles

(424) 320-9444
[email protected]
901 Bringham Ave, Los Angeles CA 90049
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Orange County

(949) 226-8509
[email protected]
3200 Park Center Dr #270, Costa Mesa CA 92626
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San Diego

(619) 323-3200
[email protected]
1450 Frazee Road #610, San Diego CA 92108
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Pasadena

(626) 772-3335
[email protected]
225 S. Lake Avenue, Ste 300, Pasadena CA 91101
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Fresno

(559) 890-2835
[email protected]
516 W. Shaw Ave, Suite 200, Fresno, CA 93704
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Bay Area

(628) 466-3555
[email protected]
2121 North California Blvd, Ste 290, Walnut Creek CA 94596
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Houston

(346) 502-6700
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12 Greenway Plaza, Ste 1111, Houston TX 77046
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Dallas

(214) 427-5642
[email protected]
4131 N. Central Expressway, Suite 900
Dallas, Texas 75204
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OUR CLIENTS

TRUSTEES

Whether you are a family trustee, professional private fiduciary, or trust officer at a trust company, your ability to discharge the fiduciary duties you owe trust beneficiaries and eliminate and your exposure rests squarely your ability to effectively read and understand trust documents, marshal, inventory, appraise and protect trust assets, make those trust assets productive, investigate and negotiate creditor claims, prepare accountings, determine, communicate and make distributions to trust beneficiaries, and obtain judicial approval of trustee acts or omissions, as necessary.

EXECUTORS

Discovering that you have been named executor of a will in a testate estate or that you need to get appointed administrator of an intestate probate estate where there is no will, especially while dealing with the emotional loss of a loved one, is overwhelming. We have the experience to guide you through the appointment process, handling all of the probate petition paperwork and probate hearings so you don’t have to, walking you through your duties and responsibilities, negotiating creditor claims, selling property, coordinating with tax and other professionals, preparing accountings, communicating with beneficiaries, and, where necessary, handling probate litigation matters, so your estate and probate administration is worry free, cost-effective, and efficient.

BENEFICIARIES AND HEIRS

As an heir, trust beneficiary, will beneficiary, bank account beneficiary, investment account beneficiary, 401k beneficiary, life insurance beneficiary, or joint tenant, you have rights, and we have the experience to advise you of those rights, any limitations, what you can expect, when you can expect it, and how much it should cost to get it. Let us help you make sure you get what your supposed to from your loved one’s trust, estate or probate administration, and if necessary fight to get what’s yours if you are involved in a trust, estate or probate litigation, are a victim of fiduciary abuse, or if there was financial elder abuse.

SPOUSES

Spouses often have special property rights under most state inheritance laws, whether it’s community property rights, forced heirship, homestead or other rights. Spouses also enjoy special procedural rights, such as having priority for administrator appointment, early access to estate assets through a family allowance, and spousal property petitions to secures that can help avoid probate, just to name a few. Our experience representing surviving spouses and those dealing with surviving spouses, or those claiming to be, can help you cut through these high emotion issues swiftly and cost-effectively.

CREDITORS

Estate creditors need to act quickly but smartly when a debtor passes, because most state probate laws give creditors a limited amount of time to pursue their claims against an estate (e.g. one year in California). Combine those constricted time frames with the complicated probate procedures that must be followed to protect a claim and you can see why many creditors fail to secure pursue any claim at all and how trustees and executors fail to properly process creditor claims. Whether you’re a creditor, trustee or executor, we can help you understand your rights and obligations.

CONSERVATORS & GUARDIANS

Conserving or establishing a guardianship for a compromised loved one is an incredibly difficult decision, made only that much more challenging when contested by feuding family members. Not only do we have the experience to help you secure the stability, safety and security your loved one deserves, but we do it with empathy and more humanly for their benefit all while holding those who have taken advantage of them accountable for their financial elder abuse or fiduciary abuse. Our record proves it.

Our Case Results

RMO has a proven track record of protecting people and defending legacies.

TRIAL VICTORIES

TRUSTEES

PROBATE ESTATE EXECUTORS & ADMINISTRATORS

BENEFICIARIES & HEIRS

SPOUSES

CONSERVATORSHIPS/GUARDIANSHIPS

PROBATE APPEALS

FINANCIAL ELDER ABUSE

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TRIAL VICTORIES

TRUSTEES

PROBATE ESTATE EXECUTORS & ADMINISTRATORS

BENEFICIARIES & HEIRS

SPOUSES

CONSERVATORSHIPS/
GUARDIANSHIPS

PROBATE APPEALS

FINANCIAL ELDER ABUSE

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Trust Amendment Invalidated for Undue Influence

After trial, awarded a seven-figure judgment, plus attorney’s fees and costs on behalf of the elderly niece of the decedent, where auntie’s neighbor/caregiver used undue influence to connive her way into becoming the primary beneficiary of her trust shortly before she passed.

Defense of Trustee Against Breach of Fiduciary Duty for Imprudent Investments

Defended the successor trustee of a family trust against claims from his brother that he had breached his fiduciary duty to invest trust assets prudently when a concentrated commodity position he amassed lost essentially all its value swiftly. The probate court denied the charge on evidence presented by RMO that the trust’s broad investment powers and the deceased settlor’s speculative investment meant there the investment loss could not constitute a breach.

Recovery of Stolen Trust Property + Double Damages and Attorney’s Fees

Representing the successor professional fiduciary trustee, secured a seven-figure probate court judgment, plus double damages, attorney’s fees and costs in recovering real property that had been transferred and stolen by an unscrupulous trust beneficiary.

Addressing Grandma’s Stolen Home

On behalf of the granddaughter administrator of grandma’s probate estate, secured a judgment against grandma’s daughter and son-in-law to recover title to grandma’s home and monies wrongfully withdrawn against the property.

Dependent Adult Financial Abuse Remedied

Secured the intestate probate estate of our clients, the rightful heirs of their cousin’s estate, who had fallen prey to an ex-con drug dealer “friend” who had coerced the cousin to sign will documents while dying in his hospital bed.

Thieving Neighbor’s Financial Elder Abuse Rectified, With Double Damages

Representing the institutional successor trustee of a family trust, obtained a financial elder abuse judgment against a neighbor “friend” abuser who had taken significant sums of money from an elderly man just months before he died, including double damages interest, attorney’s fees and costs.

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Summary Adjudication of Disinherited Beneficiary’s Trust Contest

Swiftly secured the dismissal of a trust contest of a disgruntled, disinherited trust beneficiary on a motion after strategically allowing the trust contest period to expire before serving a notice of proposed action to distribute trust assets to the trust’s remaining beneficiaries and nothing to the disinherited beneficiary.

Secured Family’s Business Legacy

Representing the successor family trustee, secured the generational family business for the decedent’s heirs by acquiring from a disgruntled beneficiary their interest in the family business on extremely favorable terms that will allow the family to continue operating the family business for future generations to come.

Defense of Financial Elder Abuse Claim Against Surviving Spouse Trustee

Successfully defended a surviving spouse trustee against financial elder abuse and other claims made by family members who said she had fraudulently transferred assets to herself from her late husband’s trust and estate.

Prevented Trustee Removal for Badly-Lawyered Trust Accounting

Staved off suspension, removal and surcharge for a trustee who had failed to properly or timely provide court-ordered trust accountings to trust beneficiaries and was staring down an imminent deadline, as well as suspension, removal and surcharge.

Trustee Removal for Fraud

Neutralized and secured removal of a hostile co-trustee who was attempting to bilk our client’s trust of millions of dollars through a series of fabricated claims.

Thieving Trustee Removed and Surcharged

Secured removal of a thieving co-trustee daughter whose malfeasance left her own mother destitute and unable to pay her bills, including recovery of the stolen assets, attorney fees and costs.

Trust Beneficiary Dispute Squashed & Partition Avoided

Swooped in on behalf of an institutional trustee after years of protracted litigation to secure a decision from the Los Angeles probate court to end a years-long dispute between feuding siblings over the distribution of their parents’ estate, avoiding distribution of assets in-kind, which would have only resulted in partition.

Sub-Trust Allocations Defended

Client’s mother survived step-dad and succeeded him as trustee of their family trust. After mom passed, step-dad’s children alleged she had improperly allocated trust assets to favor her survivor’s trust, which went to our client, over the marital trust, which went to step-dad’s children. Using historic appraisals and valuations, demonstrated the disputed allocation was reasonable, resolving the dispute.

Inept Trustee Removed & Client Appointed Successor Trustee to Save Estate

Non-responsive and ineffective trustee who had done little to nothing to administer the trust or protect trust assets from waste following decedent’s passing was removed and our client appointed as successor trustee by the probate court, avoiding further damage.

Racist Trustee Removed and Surcharged

Removed and obtained surcharge of a non-beneficiary family trustee who hurled racial epthets at our client, refused to account, and tried to sell the house intended for our sole trust beneficiary client out of spite, securing the home for our client and her family.

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Mom’s House and Legacy Saved from Foreclosure

Prevented foreclosure of mom’s house - the estate’s only significant asset - by securing ex parte appointment as Special Administrator and then obtaining a temporary restraining order preventing the home’s foreclosure so the property could be sold, securing mom’s legacy for her children and grandchildren.

Family Jewels Recovered

On behalf of a professional fiduciary, convinced the probate court to award our client double damages, attorney’s fees and costs in addition to recovery of significant personal property wrongfully taken from - and refused to be returned to - the estate.

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Saving the Family Farm

Helped family members recover ownership of the multi-million dollar family farm that had been transferred out of an irrevocable trust improperly by an unscrupulous trustee through the fraudulent use of a decanting statute.

Estate Administrator’s Fraudulent Probate Accounting Revealed

Represented decedent’s children in a contested probate accounting over various expenses the administrator attempted to charge against the estate, and then further successfully obtained an order from the court shifting a portion of the client’s fees and cost to several unrepresented heirs through a “common fund” theory of fee recovery.

“Death Bed” Trust Amendment Thwarted

Within weeks, secured evidence sufficient to convince the surviving step-parent perpetrator of a “death bed” trust amendment that disinherited our client to abandon the amendment and pay our client his high seven-figure inheritance.

Holographic Trust Amendment Neutered

Secured summary judgment on behalf of a trust beneficiary where the trustee claimed a holographic trust amendment halved our client’s inheritance, resulting in our client receiving her full inheritance and the trust paying her attorney’s fees and costs.

Invalidated Assignment of Elder Beneficiary’s Interest

Secured an elderly client’s rightful inheritance from her brother’s estate, invalidating the ill-gotten assignment the brother’s widow and her attorney had secured from her using subterfuge and without advising her to seek her own counsel.

Disputed Heirship Recognized

Effectuated heirship for the secret scion daughter of the decedent, who learned of his daughter only late in life and came to celebrate their relationship and hold her out to his community and confidants, but refrained from sharing their relationship with his wife and daughter, which led to disputed heirship after he passed.

Another “Death Bed” Trust Amendment Avoided

Within 45 days of engagement, secured 125% of our clients’ original bequests, plus attorney’s fees and costs, from their long-time friend’s estate after the 85 year-old decedent’s new “husband” unduly influenced the creation of a trust amendment to take the entirety of the estate for himself.

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Third Time’s The Charm - Eight Figure Trust Saved for Surviving Spouse

Represented the surviving spouse of her deceased husband’s high eight figure trust estate, which, through some ill-advised estate planning, had left the client as a co-fiduciary with her estranged stepson and a bungling property manager. Prior litigation with previous counsel resulted only in our client’s resignation, which allowed the bunglers to further waste trust assets. Secured a final, global resolution for the surviving spouse that secured the resignations of the “bad” trustees and replaced them with an institutional trustee who is working to remedy their bad acts and save the estate.

Long Overdue Child Support Secured from Deadbeat Dad’s Estate

Represented former spouse in collecting long-unpaid child support through creditor’s claim procedure from her ex-husband’s estate.

Retirement Benefits Secured for Surviving Spouse

Represented the surviving spouse in successfully defending her status as beneficiary of her deceased husband’s retirement benefits against contest by the decedent’s former wife and children, who had claimed lack of capacity and undue influence.

Disposed of Interloping Ex-Spouse’s Trust Contest

Represented the surviving spouse trustee of her deceased husband’s trust against a trust contest on the grounds of incapacity and undue influence by the husband’s first wife - and his children from that marriage - all of whom had been disinherited by the decedent. Deployed tried and true probate litigation tactics to put the interlopers to task, which resulted in the court dismissing their claims, saving significant time and money.

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Online Romance Fraud Halted

Established an emergency conservatorship of the estate of a divorcee who had been ensnared by Nigerian fraudsters,who had infiltrated, isolated, defrauded and unduly influenced her into sending them millions, leaving her destitute and unable to buy food.

Conservatee Protected, Financial Advisor Fraudster Barred from Industry

Represented a court-appointed guardian ad litem in securing a prosecution agreement with counsel for the conservator of an institutionalized dementia patient who was taken advantage of financially by her financial advisor, leading to his permanent bar from the financial services industry.

Protected Elder Father from His Own Daughters

On behalf of his wife, established conservatorship of an elderly man over the protests of his daughters, who were his attorneys-in-fact and nominated conservators, living rent-free in his properties, and had repeatedly threatened to withhold caregiving. Secured ex parte suspension of the daughters’ powers of attorney and appointment of a private professional fiduciary to protect dad, which was granted by probate court.

Grandmother Safeguarded

Secured appointment of a private professional fiduciary for grandmother on behalf of grandson, and over the objections of grandson’s aunt, who, along with her husband, had been exploiting grandma financially, securing grandma’s return home and well being.

Guardianships for Kidnapped Parent

In two separate cases, established a guardianship for our client on behalf of their parent after the parent was secretly moved across state lines by our clients’ siblings so the kidnapping sibling could take financial advantage of the parent.

Conservatorship Thwarted

Defeated wife’s attempt to have herself appointed as conservator for husband when dad resisted wife’s efforts to unduly influence him to change his estate plan in her favor.

Conservatorship Financial Abuser Defeated

Defeated financial abusing neighbor’s attempts to establish himself as conservator for his elderly neighbor, from whom he had transferred her properties into his name, added himself to her accounts, and changed her estate planning documents to name himself as executor, trustee and sole beneficiary.

Parents Protected from Feuding Daughters

Represented the private professional fiduciary appointee in securing appointment in contested conservatorships for mom and dad where the parents had become the victims of their daughters’ infighting and efforts to control them and their finances.

Two Dads Protected from their Feuding Sons

In separate cases, secured appointment of a private professional fiduciary to serve as conservator for each dad to protect him from a ne'er do well son who was taking advantage of him financially.

Conservatorship for Wandering Mom

On behalf of daughter, established conservatorship for mom, whose dementia manifested itself in part in wandering, over the objection of mom’s live-in boyfriend, who failed to protect mom from wandering and, investigation showed, was taking financial advantage of mom.

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Jurisdiction ≠ Forum Non Convenience

In a published opinion, obtained reversal of a lower court decision confusing jurisdiction with forum non conviens, re-establishing the trust beneficiary’s right to continue prosecuting his fraud, undue influence, and financial elder abuse claims.

Settlement Approved, Confirmed and Enforced

Represented trustee, at trial and on appeal, to enforce a settlement agreement addressing his co-trustee’s a breach of fiduciary duties, after the offending co-trustee fraudulently claimed he had satisfied his obligations under the agreement.

Trust Contest Win Buttressed

Successfully defended trustee and sole beneficiary against trust contest by disinherited heir. Then, when the trial judge erroneously entered judgment creating potential exposure for subsequent litigation, prevailed on appeal to modify the judgment to insulate the trustee from any possible further litigation.

Life Insurance Proceeds Confirmed as Trust Asset

Represented trustee of irrevocable trust in a published appellate decision confirming the trust could be funded properly with life insurance proceeds even though all formalities typically required by the terms of the life insurance policy had not been satisfied.

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Forged Estate Planning Documents Disregarded

Secured the estate of our client’s late father, who had been victimized by childhood friends who had forged estate planning documents to steal his estate from his family.

Fraudulent Property Transfers Invalidated

Secured return of our client’s home value after her daughter and son-in-law moved into the home under the guise of “helping” her, only to defraud her into signing documents signing her home over to them, after which they forced her out of her home.

Caregiver “Girlfriend’s” Grift Righted

Recovered the home of an infirm, institutionalized senior who had been victimized by his “girlfriend,” an opportunistic volunteer at his care facility, securing his golden years.

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Office
Locations

Los Angeles

Orange County

San Diego

Ready to Get Started?

Pasadena

Fresno

Bay Area

Houston

Dallas

OUR CLIENTS

TRUSTEES

EXECUTORS

BENEFICIARIES AND HEIRS

SPOUSES

CREDITORS

CONSERVATORS & GUARDIANS

Our Case Results

[email protected]

PRACTICE AREAS

Locations

Blog

Free Consultation

OfficeLocations

Los Angeles

Orange County

San Diego

Ready to Get Started?

Pasadena

Fresno

Bay Area

Houston

Dallas

OUR CLIENTS

TRUSTEES

EXECUTORS

BENEFICIARIES AND HEIRS

SPOUSES

CREDITORS

CONSERVATORS & GUARDIANS

Our Case Results

[email protected]

PRACTICE AREAS

Locations

Blog

Free Consultation

Office
Locations